A couple years ago, my job had increasingly become more dynamic and I needed to learn how to manage myself and tasks. I was introduced to Getting Things Done (GTD), a prioritization and task management process. I used it with Evernote which really helped me organize tasks in my life, and it was a huge relief from not having to “remember everything.” It felt like a to-do list on crack.
Challenges with GTD
After working with it for a while, I realized that it wasn’t perfect for my style of organizing things. I slowly began neglecting the process. After not using it for a couple months, the stress began mounting again due to my numerous tasks. I realized that, while not perfect, GTD was helpful. I decided to analyze what I was having challenges with.
- Decision-itis: needing to make too many decisions in the GTD process
- Moving deferred tasks into different notebooks “Work” and “Personal”
- Everything had the same priority
- Tasks looked like a giant wall of text with little differentiation
- All tasks have the same priority
- What task do I do first?
- What task do I do after that?
- How do I quickly know what type of action needs to be taken on a task?
So, I decided to “trim some fat” on the process.
Priority List Process
I realized that I had unknowingly modified the GTD process a number of times to suit my needs . I still did quite a bit of the process around managing incoming data/tasks, but I tweaked it. This is how I have modified GTD and found that it makes things a lot simpler for me.
Filtering Incoming Things
I do the initial filtering process of deciding whether things are actionable or not. If they aren’t actionable, I “File it” away into the appropriate reference folder in Evernote or “Delete it”. If something is actionable, I usually tend to “Prioritize It” to a folder labeled Priority because a lot of my tasks aren’t able to be done in 2 min. I also don’t usually have anyone to delegate it to.
Also, if an email comes in that is actionable, I will forward it to my Evernote email address which puts it in the Priority folder for me. If it isn’t, I will archive it or delete it. This also helps me maintain a state of Inbox Zero with my email, which saves my sanity. I also do this with messages/requests in Slack and meetings. Everything goes into the Priority notebook.
Prioritize with Note Titles
Tasks arriving in Priority get a number prefix on each note/task. A prefix of 1 is a top priority, followed by a 2 being second priority. The higher the number, the lower the priority. I only ever have one number 1 listed, one number 2 listed, a few 3’s, a handful of 4’s, and bunch of 5’s. This way, I always focus on my top priority for that day, and have an idea of what I can start on next.
I also I start each note title with an action identifier that describes the activity needed such as: Document, Call, Design, Review, etc. So at a glance, I can tell what I need to do, or if I have a few minutes between things, I can knock out something small.
Lastly, things that have a definite due date, I add a reminder so it shows up above the list (gently reminding me that something is coming up).
Personal Stuff
Yes, I actually mix together my professional and personal tasks into the same Priority notebook. I found that having two different places to look, was taxing and I eventually ended up ignoring my “personal tasks” notebook. Having them in one place keeps all things work and personal at the front of my mind and I can prioritize them accordingly.
Daily Reviews
I review this list every day, first thing when I get going in the morning. I reorganize things that have changed priority by changing the number. Boom, done. I have some things that have been at the bottom of the list for months and admittedly these could go into a “someday maybe” folder, however I when I did this before, I just completely forgot about them. Keeping them in here keeps them on my mind. When I get some time, I just dip into my Priority notebook and knock out something small, or if I need a distraction for a bit.
If you liked this process, hit the ♥ below. If you have modified the GTD process or have some feedback, let me know with a comment below.
This post was inspired by John Zeratsky’s post on Giving Up on To-Do Lists
